ELI5 Edition Discord Version Try the Political Version

Ambiguity

The Fallacy

Using double meanings or ambiguities of language to mislead or misrepresent the truth.

Why it's wrong

Politicians are often guilty of using ambiguity to mislead and will later point to how they were technically not lying if they come under scrutiny. The reason that it qualifies as a fallacy is that it is intrinsically misleading.

Example

The sign said 'Fine for parking here', so the driver was outraged when he received a ticket. He argued that the sign clearly stated it was 'fine' (okay) to park, not that there was a financial penalty.